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2013 Fusion Hybrid

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Comments

  • patcicpatcic Member Posts: 3
    edited April 2013
    I have no complaints. I have had my FFH for 1 week and when i finally fueled up, I got 43.3 mpg on 10 gals of fuel with 60/40 city/highway driving. On the expressway, I did 67 to 70 mph. It's the quietest, most comfortable driving hybrid on the market if you ask me including the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The quality seems to be there, time will tell if it can hold up as well as the Toyota.
  • patcicpatcic Member Posts: 3
    This post is right on the money. You should accelerate to speed using the gas engine and the let the electric motor take over, the sooner the better. Accelerating slowly will not work as the gas engine stays on too long.
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    Hey all,
    I just picked up my Hybrid SE on Friday. I was a little put off at first when my average MPG was around 33 MPG. Took me a bit to realize that, #1, I was new to driving a hybrid (this is my very first one) and, #2, almost all of the first 120 miles were on the highway. Driving in town over the weekend I was getting used to driving and getting between 35 and 38 MPG. I was concerned after reading some earlier posts that I may end up getting far less than advertised. Yesterday and today on my commute, though, I achieved Fusion greatness: 44 MPG to work both days and 60 MPG on the way home last night!

    I cannot express how much I love this car so far. The ride is amazing. Now that I have figured out how to drive it, I look forward to rush hour traffic. I am a more calm and relaxed driver now, too. I spend the day looking out my window at work waiting for the opportunity to drive home. I love the fact that this car looks like a nice sedan and not some 1980's futuristic wannabe electric car. I agree with everyone who says that accelerating as quickly as possible and then switching to electric is the way to go. My FFH is up to 200 miles now and only 120 of them have been on gas, roughly the amount of miles spent travelling back and forth to the dealer! I would recommend this car to anyone looking at Hybrids. It feels like a luxury car to me and the level of relaxation I get cruising in traffic is worth every penny
  • socalfusionsocalfusion Member Posts: 10
    Congratulations! I've had my SE Hybrid since January and pretty much feel the same way. I consistently get ~40 mpg with a best of 44.5 and a worst of 36. 4-5 tanks have exceeded 40 mpg. About 60% of my commute is highway and the other 40% surface streets. I too find the seats and ride quite comfortable. The only nickpiks I have are the touchscreen (takes 2-3 pokes to activate an icon) and the sunroof control (same problem as the touchscreen especially when closing). But these are minor issues.

    I did recently receive a notice from Ford to come in for a SYNC update to the software which seems to include a number of enhancements. Just have to find the time to take it in and let them have it for a day. Anyone else had this done yet?
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    I didnt get a sweet note from them LOL Do you know anything about how to check what version of Sync you are on? Also, my touchscreen works pretty good. I think in the settings there is an option to change the sensitivity. Have you looked at that?
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    If yours has the Hybrid screen then it is the most recent version.
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    You mean the one that tells you when you are on gas or electric and why?
  • socalfusionsocalfusion Member Posts: 10
    Achieved a personal best of 45.2 mpg over 312 miles (6.9 gals) today in my 2013 Fusion Hybrid. Been trying to run in EV mode more when possible by accelerating quicker then backing off a bit to engage EV mode. Hard to do at freeway speeds, but fairly easy on surface streets. Will be interesting to hear how Fusion Energi drivers do.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Some guys are getting over 50 now that the weather has warmed up. Probably just a bad time for Ford to release the car during the winter.
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    YEah, I am about to take a big round tripper so I am curious to see what I get there. On a 70 mile round tripper I got 48 mpg so that was pretty sweet
  • tldtld Member Posts: 37
    For those of you that already own, or are considering purchasing they hybrid version, what type of maintenance costs does the owners manual or dealer say that is different then the non hybrid versions? I'm thinking at least the first 100K.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Maintenance is no different for a hybrid than for a regular gas car. The only real difference is that brakes last 2-3 times as long on a Hybrid so you most likely wont need them for the first 100K miles.

    Under the hood there is a separate cooling system for the Hybrid drive, but the change interval is same as the engine coolant. It uses the same coolant too, so that is about the only difference on a Hybrid.

    There is no maintenance on the batteries, or electric drive system.
  • jwmoore59jwmoore59 Member Posts: 1
    Over all my 2013 is a better vehicle technologically than my 2010; however, in comparison the reconfiguration of the trunk space, lack of a spare tire and smaller fuel tank are the negatives that need to be pointed out. Having had my 2013 since 04/09 and averaging 42 mpg city/hwy the achievable driving range is greatly diminished with the smaller fuel tank. As a result, even though my fuel efficiency has increased, I'm at the pump more often than I would have expected.
  • jb_desmoinesjb_desmoines Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2013
    I ordered my '13 Fusion Hybrid last fall and was among the first to have one in my area. I previously owned two Prius' so I am very familiar with hybrid vehicles. I drive about 35-40K miles per year for combined business and personal use, so mpg is very important for me.

    I absolutely love the Fusion from a styling and features standpoint. I have driven the Fusion 15K miles and have averaged about 37 mpg with a pretty even mix of city & highway miles, which is pretty disappointing when you are expecting to get the advertised 47 mpg. In its defense, I will say that I typically drive 65-75 mph on the highway, which is not ideal for maximizing mpg. However, I drove my Prius' the exact same way and averaged close to 50 mpg.

    I recently started having an issue where a red warning light would show up on the screen that said "Stop safely now", and within 5-10 seconds the engine systems would shut down. The first few times this occurred at idle or very low speeds, such as in a parking lot, and I was able to re-start the vehicle right away. But shortly thereafter, it happened twice on the interstate at 70+mph, and put me in potentially very dangerous situations, having to change lanes in traffic while losing speed coasting to the shoulder.

    I took the vehicle back to my dealer, and was relieved when the issue occurred again with my service advisor there to witness it. They ran the codes and diagnosed the problem as a faulty power control module. They ordered the part and put me in a service loaner. 10 days later the vehicle was finally ready to be picked up, and I was told the issue was resolved. Later that day (and 40 miles from home) the same issue occurred again and I struggled to get the car back to the dealership. My service advisor has been working with Ford trying to resolve the problem. They decided to replace the entire Lithium hybrid battery pack in the back of the vehicle. It took quite a while for them to diagnose the issue after the PCM failed to resolve it. It seemed like they were not sure how to proceed.

    The battery pack had to be ordered from one of Ford's vendors, and is apparently in short supply as my car has now been sitting behind the dealership for 4 weeks. To add salt to the wound, my service advisor told me they received a battery pack last week but the vendor sent the wrong one...it was for a Fusion plug-in model, which is different from the one that goes in the regular hybrid.

    My service advisor is ready to pull his hair out and the dealership is trying their best...I know it's not their fault. However, my confidence regarding the long-term reliability of this vehicle is fading fast. I bought a vehicle service agreement that protects me up to 125K miles. But I haven't seen my car for over a month and counting! This is my first domestic vehicle in two decades and at this point I am less than impressed. I sent an e-mail to Ford customer service last week but have not heard back from them yet.

    Has anyone out there experienced a similar situation?
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    There are a few who are having issues, but just a very small amount are. It seems like most that are having issues have a Job1 built car. If you go beyond 30 days, check your local Lemon Law, and see if you can get Ford to swap out your car with a Job2 built one.

    Come on over to http://fordfusionhybridforum.com where there are a lot more people you can talk to and get help and answers on.

    I also had a Job1 car that had issues, not like yours does, but bad enough that is got less than 34 MPG unless I superHypermiled. I have a dealer willing to help out and was able to work out a deal so that I didnt lose too much, and it worked out to about 20 cents a mile for me. I now have a Job2 HyTi and I am loving it and it is doing very well.

    If you like the car, dont give up on it just yet.
  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202
    I had all the updates added to my FFH early last week. I'm at 9,900 miles and my average mileage has been 37.2 mpg. 80% of my miles are at 65-75 mph. The changes have upped my fuel economy by over 6 mpg. The past week of typical driving for me has resulted in a 44 mpg average. The fact that my FFH can now spend time in EV mode at speeds up to 85 mph (I've only tested it up to 75 mph) has made a huge difference for me.
    The only problem the updates didn't solve was the Battery Saver Message. Ford just put too small a capacity 12V battery in the FFH. It is just a minor inconvience, however. It results in the Audio sometimes turning off before you open the door.
    When the late model 2014s come out with the options for height adjustment for the passenger seat and Push Button Start for the SE trim, Ford will have a darn near perfect car.

    B25Nut
  • socalfusionsocalfusion Member Posts: 10
    That's great news. How long did they take to do the updates?

    Thanks
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    I just had mine done today and my mileage feels like it dropped some, but this was back and forth to the dealer and a different type of driving than I usually do. Tomorrow starts my regular work week commute so I am hoping it was a fluke and that the mileage will see at least a small bump. Usually, on my commute, I was getting almost exactly the suggested 47 MPG
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    Oh, and the update only took a few hours. I dropped it off at 9:30 and they called me by 12:30
  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202
    I took it in early morning on Tuesday the 13th and picked it up noon the next day. I was given an F-150 as a loaner. I had everything that had accumulated done (leather gear shift, front end shims, fuel pump and three software updates).
    I think the PCM update is ideal for So. Cal. freeways.
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    I actually got better mileage this morning that usual, so its definitely promising. I need to look and see if I have any software updates. Were yours for Sync updates?
  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202
    I got the FSA 13A01 Sync Upgrade and the 13B07 PCM recalibration done. 13-5-1 for the Battery Saver message didn't work, al least for me. Before the Sync upgrade, when I played my USB songs on Shuffle, about half the time it would start with the same song. With the upgrade, it has not done this.
  • congotimcongotim Member Posts: 8
    Has their been any improvement on song being played in the proper order? Mine always play in alphabetical order rather than track order when I play an album
  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202
    I've always played mine on Suffle so I don't know what it does in other modes.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Depending on what you use for the media, you may need to organize the track information. I have this same problem and found that trough Itunes if you set the Meta data correctly it will play by track, but it isnt easy and consumes time.
  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202
    edited December 2013
    The FFH is my first hybrid. I never even considered a hybrid before last year, and I still wouldn't be caught dead in a Prius. But Ford has made me a convert by producing a hybrid disguised as one of the nicest looking, highest tech vehicles available. And it was within my $34K budget.
    How many times you may have to take a new vehicle back to the dealer to correct problems is a fear most car buyers have, and it is a good gauge of the quality of a car. This is a list of my dealer trips in 12 months:
    1. Updated to the latest MyFord Touch software.
    2. Had dealer check for the cause of the Battery Saver message. Nothing was found wrong, battery was charged, I did not leave happy.
    3. Had a total of six TSBs and updates done at one time.
    (For the first two trips, a shuttle took me to work and picked me up. For this third, a loaner car was provided.
    4. Had Illuminated Door Sills and Ambient Lighting installed (the only time I had an out of pocket expense).
    Not bad for a brand new car. During my first 9 months of ownership, I averaged 37.2 mpg. The last three months have seen a 43.4 mpg average. After 12,200 miles, the FFH is like a fine wine. It gets better with age.
    I know I could come close to or match the EPA 47 mpg if I never drove over the speed limit. But for me, that’s never going to happen. I have, however, lowered my average speed by 5 mph, and I’ve surprised myself by being happy with that. If I had been driving my previous vehicle, a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, I would have spent over $1,600 more on gas over the past year. That fact makes my very happy, but everything about the FFH makes me a happier person. One of the best feelings you can have is knowing you’ve made the right decision, and there is no other car on the planet that I wish I would have chosen instead of the FFH. Although I know there are other factors involved, I truly believe that purchasing the FFH has made me a better person.
    My FFH is a White Platinum SE with Dune leather interior (Equip Group 502A), moonroof, MFT Tech Package, Nav, 18” Luxury Wheels and Rear Sensing. I will probably be happily driving my FFH for the next eight years. If I were to buy another one tomorrow, however, the only option I would add would be the Push Button Start, which wasn’t available for the SE at the time of my purchase. I still wish Ford would make the new 10-way adjustable passenger seat an option on the 2014 SE and not just the Titanium. They should at least make a manual height adjustment available for the front passenger. In many cases, this adjustment would probably only be done once, just like the tilt adjustment on my steering wheel.
    I’ll never qualify as a hybrid “enthusiast” but I do think I fit in with the majority of FFH owners who just love driving their Fusion Hybrid, and get great gas mileage as a side benefit.
    The FFH is a “luxury” car, but doesn’t qualify for that category since it doesn’t cost enough. Its fold down rear seats are a major benefit for me. I use them a lot, and if the FFH didn’t have them, I probably would have purchased a crossover vehicle instead.
    If you are already in the habit of driving with smooth acceleration and smooth braking, you should have no problem getting good mileage from your FFH. Learning to back off the gas peddle at the right time to get into EV mode is probably the major new additional habit you need to develop.
    In the category of vehicles that people can afford, I feel the 2013-14 Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best choice a driver can make.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    A reporter would like to speak to someone who recently bought or is shopping for a new Ford Fusion. If this is you, and you'd like to share your story, please send daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, December 27, 2013 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.

  • b25nutb25nut Member Posts: 202

    Check out Edmunds comparisons of Hybrid Sedans:
    http://www.edmunds.com/ford/fusion-hybrid/2013/comparison-test.html?SID=1dijm0sm6hysb&kw=flexibletexttool&PID=6150294&AID=10364102&mktid=cj260233&mktcat=affiliates

  • sergeissergeis Member Posts: 134
    edited August 2014

    Had our Fusion Hybrid 2013 for over a year now. Recently got a check for about $800 from Ford to compensate for the inflated mpg numbers - 47/47 mpg is now replaced with 44/41. Now, I new it was not 47/47 when I was buying it, but liked it as is, so the check is a bonus for me. I still like it. Below are some MPG numbers etc.

    My average for city driving in warm summer weather is 47 mpg and above. It is a matter of learning how the car saves most gas, and it is not just going slowly. It is best to accelerate normally to cruise speed using engine, which is simultaneously recharging the battery, and then just cruise to the next light on electric. Braking should be just smooth enough to let the "regenerative" to get 100% energy back, in city that alone gives you ~10% saving. City with some smooth hills is actually best for it. My wife used to get only ~40 mpg in a city, but now that she learned how to drive she gets the same high mpg as me. And that did not make her travel times longer.

    For highway, when driving without traffic, do not expect more than ~41 mpg at 60 mph, though that would go a little up if there are some smooth hills and the car would switch to electric more often. With traffic, however setting on adaptive cruise with the shortest distance between cars (0.9 seconds) you get from 45 to more than 50 mpg, depending on the size of the car in front of you. The adaptive cruise is really good in reaction time when the car in front breaks - it breaks instantly with necessary hardness keeping the 0.9 seconds distance. On highways with traffic I easily get 45 mpg and above. Last weekend had 48 mpg taking highway with some interstate to the beach, about 250 miles round trip, moderate traffic.

    For interstate at 70-85 mph expect 38-34 mpg on an empty road. Again, using adaptive cruise and hiding behind traffic will get you over 40 mpg, once with rather heavy truck traffic I had 49 mpg on a 250 mile interstate round trip. In Chicago traffic, for example, I usually have 45-50 mpg on highways and interstates, all the same...

    My current average for this summer driving is 44.5 mpg, it goes up when in the city, and drops on interstate, total driving distance was few thousand miles.

    Winter time - due to the fact that heating runs using engine heat, the city numbers drop by ~5-10 mpgs with short 5-10 minutes trips to work and back, as engine runs constantly for first minutes to get heat.

    There is only one big disappointment: the GPS navigation program really sucks. First, it has no option to enter the coordinates - which is a must for any hiker. Second, sometimes you cannot change the state, since it only shows one current state in the list. Turning car on and off sometimes helps (like restarting windows). Typing some distant POI - like Warren Dunes (state park in Michigan) when being in Indiana - results in zero findings - even though POI is on its map. Typing in a small city name even in current state will be often impossible as it only gets you use letters, which lead to something matching in its "brain", and that particular city is, for some reason, is not there. Again - if you know where it is you can still browse the map directly (the city is actually there!) and select a point on the map as a destination. Anyway - I use my android phone for navigation, it is easier.

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